It’s an open secret that Aamir Khan shares a close bond with cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. As the legendary batsman gets ready to hang up his boots, the actor feels Sachin will be dearly missed. “Sachin provides us with hope and inspiration, and makes us feel good about ourselves. He is the
embodiment of the collective pride of India,” Aamir tells us.

Not many know that Aamir has known the Master Blaster for over two decades now. The first time he met the cricketer was in 1990 on the sets of Andaz Apna Apna when a young Sachin had given the clap for the mahurat shot. But a couple of years before their formal meeting, Aamir — while shooting for Awwal Number at Brabourne Stadium — had already seen a young Sachin for the first time in 1988 when he saw him practising at the nets.

Probably that’s why Aamir is aware of what Tendulkar-less Indian cricket will feel like. “His retirement will surely leave an empty feeling in all of us but today we should celebrate his spectacular innings as a cricketer, as a human being, and as an icon,” adds the actor, who along with the producers of his next film, Dhoom:3, has decided to dedicate a hit song from the film to Sachin.

“Through his entire career, he has created ripples with every step, on every pitch, in every cricketing country, in every bowler’s nightmare, in our hearts, in every cricket field across the world, and in the heart of every cricket fan across the world.”